1 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 1 – 3

•The first part of this verse and our opening up in the scriptures today is very interesting because Paul writes, “I couldn’t bear it any longer! I just had to get to you! Somehow, someway…to encourage you and to establish you concerning your faith because I know some of you are shaking loose!” Why so interesting? Well anyone here familiar with 1 Corinthians Chapter 13? Paul wrote there that love bears all things, endures all things! But here we see him unable to bear! What’s going on? Is he not walking in love? No, in fact that is exactly what he is doing!

•Love does bear all things but that doesn’t mean serve yourself while you bear with it! He does something about it! He says I couldn’t bear to not do what is right and what is needed by you! I’m scratching on something ultra deep already in our study but know this, to be able to bear all things, to love as it is described in 1 Corinthians 13, is the strongest and most formidable power available to mankind! It is the same force that fueled Jesus to take the beating and take the mocking and take the accusing and the betrayal of His people. The same thing that gave Him the physical and mental strength to take the cross and even over-take the grave.

•Love bears all things and in that bearing, love gives all things. For God so loved the World, He gave…Paul sent his right hand Timothy when he heard of them struggling there in Thessalonica. What’s my point? In our self-seated hearts we often think of bearing with others as in not delivering some sweet chin music when they are being a jerk…oh but we are so off…bearing with others, is to serve them and to do it in such a way that establishes them in the faith.

•I love this word for In the Greek it’s the same word for “fix.” To biblically bear with someone means that we take ownership of the solution. Let me ask you, can you fix your car by preaching at it? Can you fix your washing machine by telling it why you’re right and it’s wrong? Of course not. Then why do we think we fix our wife or our husband or our co-worker by telling them what they need to do and not to do or need to think and not to think? We are to be the light. We are to be as we ought to be. We are to give. We are to send. We are to salt the conversation and the situation…we are to be Christians. Followers of Jesus, not agree-ers with Jesus…Do you hear Paul’s heart cry as he gives what’s most precious to him. His son in the faith…

•Folks we are to bear with the world and with even ourselves, giving ourselves grace as we walk and learn and grow but let me be clear…not in terms of tolerance of sin. We need to UNJUSTIFY sin in our own hearts. Immediately rejectable. (Ultimately sin will be rejected if we think this way) Why? Sin’s fun! Sin’s convenient! Because it cost God His Son! And it only and always leads to complexity of life, loss of joy and fellowship with God, and unrepentant neighbors and family members, those suffering in sin will be gone and lost forever because you just want to preach at them…and not bear with them. And you want to justify it in your life. You have a disease man…

•We bear all things as the Word says and we who are strong in the faith bear with the scruples of the weak (Romans 15:1) but that does not mean we join in it…that means we establish folks, we encourage folks in the faith, we fix them…how? By being different. Delivering fruit to a hungry traveler…showing them love, joy, peace, long suffering, patience, kindness, Gentleness, goodness, faith…love, power and a sound mind…

•I want you to know, there are many out there today, many in the faith, many in this room even, that are shaken by life. Just like the church there in Thessalonica. That word shaken most literally means, to quake. Navigating day by day, taking it a day at a time because they have no plan for the next day…and the wind blows, money runs out, circumstance comes and they tremble. I wonder are you established in your faith. Fixed as it were. Here’s the test…are you establishing others? So simple. You can only give what you have. (Marley)

•Remember talking about this before. You cannot give what you do not have and so a very important question that those seeking to a deeper walk with God will do something about, are you establishing others in the faith. Are you a fixer of faith? Or are you a flaunter of faith? Or are you neither? Those seeking God will do something about those questions right there…those not seeking him won’t.

•Paul’s been through it. He knows the sting of affliction, when you have to choose God over money, God over approval of man and you actually do…because if you choose poorly then there is no affliction…and the power within him stirs. He deploys Timothy to fix them up, establish them and encourage them. This is what a Christian does. Not a strong Christian…not a mature Christian…we add these qualifiers to make it ok for us to dishonor God with our way of live. This is what a Christian does.

•Notice one more thing. Establishing comes before The 21st century people-centered church has lost this. We are Christ-centered. We must establish folks before we encourage them…encouragement without establishment kicks the can down the road to simply fail and fall and quake again…I pray that makes sense.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 4 – 5

•Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that the folks there that claimed to be saved would turn out to not be saved. The idea here is that because of the afflictions overtaking them producing a natural focus on self, that circumstance would produce a fruitless faith. Remember the parable of the sower…Truly Paul only has 24 hours in the day, just like you and just like me…I am constantly on the lookout to do all that I can to ensure I do not labor in vain.

•We are to make disciples. Disciples bring forth a whole HEAP of fruit…and so as ministers, as slaves of Christ, bond servants to the ultimate and best and Most High Master, we have an eternal responsibility to not labor in vain. And so we establish before we encourage.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 6 – 10

•That almost sounds like an insult but it is most certainly not! He said, “perfect!” He’s talking about them being one degree off and wanting to serve them in any way possible to step them closer to Jesus! The solid souled-out seeker of Jesus would love to hear this from their elder in the faith!!

1 Thessalonians Chapter 3 Verses 11 – 13

•This is such a fantastic and revealing prayer of Paul! A few verses ago he took on the responsibility to establish them in the faith and here he adds something amazing about Jesus! He says that it is Jesus that establishes our hearts blameless in holiness before God! That is something only Jesus can do because what He has done! Receiving that will cause love, power, a sound mind, established hearts to increase and even

•Man when it becomes all about Jesus, you become all you ought to be! What we were, what He did…what we are now because of Him. Where we’ll be. What hope we have. What power we have in a moment of crazy courage and obedience to Him, proving to the world and even ourselves that man, I actually am a believer. I am a follower of Jesus…and the core CPU of the heart resolves…and it all makes sense…our eyes open and the world as God sees it reveals itself to us…I am a Christian.

•I just simply love that…and I love what Paul does here at the end of the chapter…the same thing he did at the end of the previous chapter…he scratches on end times before diving full on into the discussion of the end of the world in chapters 4 (beginning in verse 13) and 5. He says, “We will stand before God perfect and blameless and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ WITH all His saints!” BOOM! Clear pointer to Revelation 19 when we return after the Great Tribulation to rule and reign with Jesus for a thousand years!